Not Necessarily a Bad Thing

“Your reaction is quite good. That means your constitution can tolerate the purification process very well.”

She took a brand-new bandage from the drawer.

“This process will take four to five hours. It will hurt a lot, but you have to endure it. If we stop midway, all our efforts will be wasted.”

“Can I have an anesthetic?” Su Yuehe asked.

“No.”

Doctor Zhou shook her head. “Anesthetic would interfere with the treatment. You’ll have to tough it out.”

She wrapped the bandage around his arm again. This time, it was made of a semitransparent material, through which the bluish-purple glow beneath was clearly visible.

“You’ll receive an injection of strengthening solution every fifteen minutes. Press the bell if you need anything.”

Time passed very slowly.

Outside the window, the sunset over the Northern Frontier military camp gradually shifted from golden yellow to deep crimson.

Chen Guan felt as though an invisible rope were twisting his arm from the inside out. Every injection from Doctor Zhou added another turn to that rope.

“How are you feeling?”

Su Yuehe’s voice came from beside him.

“I’m fine.”

“Can I believe you?”

Chen Guan turned his head and stared at the fluorescent light on the ceiling. “It hurts a little.”

“Doctor Zhou said that’s a good sign.”

Su Yuehe paused.

“The deeper the contamination has spread, the more painful the resistance will be. It means your body is driving those things out.”

Chen Guan did not continue the subject. Instead, he asked about something else. “I heard your mother is coming?”

“She’ll arrive tonight.”

Su Yuehe’s tone sounded somewhat complicated.

“She’s handling some Council business. The main reason she’s coming to the Northern Frontier this time is to attend tomorrow’s coordination meeting.”

“Coordination meeting?”

“Mm.”

Su Yuehe leaned back in the recliner, her gaze fixed on the ceiling.

“Regarding the response plan for the rift anomaly. The Academy, the Council, the Superhuman Association, and the Great Wall will all be sending representatives. All four sides will be attending.”

“Will your father be coming too?”

Su Yuehe’s shoulder shifted slightly, and she forced an unconvincing smile. “No. He won’t.”

Her mother was the Speaker of the Human Council. As for who her father was, Chen Guan had never heard her mention him, and outsiders knew very little as well.

Judging from her reaction, it was clearly a forbidden subject. Chen Guan was smart enough not to press further.

Around midnight, Doctor Zhou announced that the purification had entered its final phase.

The bluish-purple color beneath the bandages began to fade, revealing normal skin. Only a few fine black lines remained on the surface, resembling scars left behind by a burn.

“You’ll need three days to recover. During that time, you must keep the wound dry and avoid high-intensity combat. To be honest, as a doctor, I should advise you to return to school.”

Doctor Zhou wrapped a fresh bandage around his arm, this time using ordinary medical gauze.

“Come back for another examination the day after tomorrow. If there’s no recurrence, you can resume your normal activities.”

Su Yuehe helped Chen Guan out of the treatment room. His left arm was still sore and swollen, but the sensation of being burned alive had already subsided.

The night sky above the military camp was cold and clear. In the distance, the energy fluctuations from Rift Four glimmered with a faint blue light in the darkness.

“Do you still plan on attending the meeting tomorrow?”

Su Yuehe asked. She had clearly taken Doctor Zhou’s words to heart.

“I do.”

Chen Guan looked at the light. “I’ve come all this way. I might as well see it through.”

Su Yuehe rubbed her forehead and sighed. She had known he would give that answer.

That was Chen Guan for you.

……

The next day.

Chen Guan woke up early. The burning pain in his left arm had faded into a dull soreness. Every now and then, he could still feel something moving beneath his skin, but it no longer affected his normal activities.

He sat up and used his right hand to peel back a corner of the bandage, secretly taking a look. The black lines were even fainter than they had been the previous night.

Doctor Zhou’s injections really were effective. Truly a miracle worker.

“Are you awake?”

Long Ao’s voice came from the doorway.

“I’m awake.”

The door opened, and Long Ao stood there with a meal box in his hands.

“From the cafeteria. Eat it while it’s hot.”

Chen Guan took the meal box and opened the lid with one hand.

Inside were two roujiamo and a bowl of white rice porridge.

“What time is the coordination meeting?”

“Nine o’clock, in the main conference hall. An Changqing told me to say that if you’re not feeling well, you don’t have to go.”

Chen Guan took a bite. “I’m going.”

This time, there would be more than just the people from their group. Many senior students from different schools would be attending as well. Chen Guan figured he should at least go and familiarize himself with them.

Besides, some major figures would be there too. He was rather curious to see what they looked like in person. Pictures always lacked something.

Long Ao leaned against the doorframe, both hands in his pockets. His eyes fell on the bandage around Chen Guan’s left arm, and he asked in an apparently casual tone, “What did the doctor say?”

“Three days of recovery. I’ll go back for a checkup the day after tomorrow. It’s nothing serious.”

“That’s good.”

After saying that, Long Ao waved casually and turned to leave.

His footsteps faded at the end of the corridor.

Chen Guan finished the roujiamo in a few quick bites, then got up and washed his face at the sink.

Baal’s voice rang out in his mind. “Don’t celebrate too soon.”

“What do you mean?”

“That doctor is quite capable. She can handle ordinary contamination, but the thing left in your arm isn’t ordinary.”

“Speak plainly.”

“Astaroth can’t be cleansed with a few injections. It has already taken root in the gaps between your bones. That doctor merely removed the surface reaction. She isn’t qualified to cure it completely.”

Chen Guan stopped moving. He lowered his head and looked at his left hand, opening and closing his fingers. They moved freely, and aside from the occasional soreness, there seemed to be nothing wrong.

“Then what should I do?”

“Nothing for now. It won’t take your life anytime soon. We’ll find a suitable solution later.”

Baal’s tone was light, as though he didn’t consider the matter important at all.

He was confident that Astaroth itself wouldn’t cause trouble. In that case, the residual contamination might not necessarily be a bad thing for Chen Guan.

“Can’t you say something more constructive?”

“Lord Bael is already being very constructive. At least I told you the truth, unlike a certain doctor who still thinks she cured you.”

Baal let out a cold snort. Honestly, what an ungrateful fool. Lord Bael was the kindest demon in the world.

Chen Guan draped his coat over his shoulders, too lazy to continue arguing with Baal.

……

At eight forty, the seven of them met outside the main conference hall.

Several groups of people stood in the corridor. Some wore Great Wall military uniforms, others were dressed in the black uniforms of the Superhuman Association, while a few were in civilian clothes but carried an unmistakable air of authority. They were probably representatives from the Council.

Liu Feiyu took off his earphones and hung them around his neck. “Quite a spectacle. All four major powers gathered in one place. When was the last time things were this lively?”

“Thirteen years ago, during the southern front’s beast tide.”

An Changqing answered immediately, clearly having done his homework.

The group then pushed open the doors and walked in.

Chen Guan followed them into the conference hall.

The hall was spacious. On the projection screen at the front, monitoring data from Rift Four played on a continuous loop. They had been assigned seats at the far end, near the entrance.

Deputy Commander Song, whom they had met before, was already seated beside the central seat. White Eagle stood behind him, his expression as stern as ever. His features, however, looked strangely familiar.

There were also quite a few familiar faces among the students seated below.